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5 Epiphany

Psalm 93

1 The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty;the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength;indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.2 Your throne was established long ago;you are from all eternity.

3 The seas have lifted up, Lord,the seas have lifted up their voice;the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.4 Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,mightier than the breakers of the sea—the Lord on high is mighty.

Psalm 96

1 Sing to the Lord a new song;sing to the Lord, all the earth.2 Sing to the Lord, praise his name;proclaim his salvation day after day.3 Declare his glory among the nations,his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

4 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;he is to be feared above all gods.5 For all the gods of the nations are idols,but the Lord made the heavens.6 Splendor and majesty are before him;strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

7 Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;bring an offering and come into his courts.9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of his[a] holiness;tremble before him, all the earth.10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;he will judge the peoples with equity.

11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;let the sea resound, and all that is in it.12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.13 Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,he comes to judge the earth.He will judge the world in righteousnessand the peoples in his faithfulness.

Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.

1 I will extol the Lord at all times;his praise will always be on my lips.2 I will glory in the Lord;let the afflicted hear and rejoice.3 Glorify the Lord with me;let us exalt his name together.

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;he delivered me from all my fears.5 Those who look to him are radiant;their faces are never covered with shame.6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;he saved him out of all his troubles.7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,and he delivers them.

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.9 Fear the Lord, you his holy people,for those who fear him lack nothing.10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.11 Come, my children, listen to me;I will teach you the fear of the Lord.12 Whoever of you loves lifeand desires to see many good days,13 keep your tongue from eviland your lips from telling lies.14 Turn from evil and do good;seek peace and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,and his ears are attentive to their cry;16 but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,to blot out their name from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;he delivers them from all their troubles.18 The Lord is close to the brokenheartedand saves those who are crushed in spirit.

19 The righteous person may have many troubles,but the Lord delivers him from them all;20 he protects all his bones,not one of them will be broken.

21 Evil will slay the wicked;the foes of the righteous will be condemned.22 The Lord will rescue his servants;no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

Footnotes:

Psalm 34:1This psalm is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

50 Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the Lord; we can say nothing to you one way or the other.51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has directed.”

52 When Abraham’s servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord.53 Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother.54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there.

When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master.”

55 But her brother and her mother replied, “Let the young woman remain with us ten days or so; then you[a] may go.”

56 But he said to them, “Do not detain me, now that the Lord has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master.”

57 Then they said, “Let’s call the young woman and ask her about it.”58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?”

“I will go,” she said.

59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men.60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,

“Our sister, may you increaseto thousands upon thousands;may your offspring possessthe cities of their enemies.”

61 Then Rebekah and her attendants got ready and mounted the camels and went back with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.

62 Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev.63 He went out to the field one evening to meditate,[b] and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching.64 Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel65 and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?”

“He is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.

66 Then the servant told Isaac all he had done.67 Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

Dealing With False Teachers

14 Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.16 Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.17 Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,18 who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

20 In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use.21 Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

The Little Children and Jesus

13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them.14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.

The Rich and the Kingdom of God

17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’[a]”

20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.